porting over VB6 to QB64PE (and VB6 IDE that runs in browser & modern Windows )

[madscijr]

Of course I love QB64PE, but you might also consider checking out TwinBasic (https://github.com/twinbasic/twinbasic/releases and https://twinbasic.com/).
...
TwinBasic is not yet fully vb6-compatible, but it is getting closer and closer.

Well, apparently AvaloniaVisualBasic6 isn't quite able to open existing projects, but they recommended TwinBasic, saying it could probably open a VB6 project. 
So that's 2 times in 2 days that someone has recommended it. 
Any idea what VB6 features or controls TwinBasic is not compatible with? 
(I would really only need it to open VB6 projects so I can view the forms and controls, to see what's there, so I can port programs to QB64PE.)

Also, looking at their change log, every version says 

• IMPORTANT: This is an interim/experimental release. It includes significant changes, so some instability is to be expected.
  
• KNOWN ISSUE: Controls are not being destroyed properly by the form designer, causing big memory leaks (broken in this build)
  

I kept clicking next page, hoping to find a stable version without memory leaks, but gave up after a few pages.
Is there a version that doesn't have big memory leaks? LOL

Thanks again for your recommendation.

[Kernelpanic]

@madscijr, I don't understand why you're still messing around with this unfinished stuff instead of installing VB 5 or 6. What are you afraid of?

Some people create problems for themselves where there are none. 

[madscijr]

@madscijr, I don't understand why you're still messing around with this unfinished stuff instead of installing VB 5 or 6. What are you afraid of?

Some people create problems for themselves where there are none. 

Just another rabbit hole I went down! The TwinBasic can compile VB6 to 64-bit code and the other one can supposedly generate android and ios code. Just some neat possibilities for resurrecting hundreds of useful VB6 projects (instead of rebuilding them all from scratch).

[LEM]

Of course I love QB64PE, but you might also consider checking out TwinBasic (https://github.com/twinbasic/twinbasic/releases and https://twinbasic.com/).
...
TwinBasic is not yet fully vb6-compatible, but it is getting closer and closer.

Well, apparently AvaloniaVisualBasic6 isn't quite able to open existing projects, but they recommended TwinBasic, saying it could probably open a VB6 project. 
So that's 2 times in 2 days that someone has recommended it. 
Any idea what VB6 features or controls TwinBasic is not compatible with? 
(I would really only need it to open VB6 projects so I can view the forms and controls, to see what's there, so I can port programs to QB64PE.)

Also, looking at their change log, every version says 

• IMPORTANT: This is an interim/experimental release. It includes significant changes, so some instability is to be expected.
  
• KNOWN ISSUE: Controls are not being destroyed properly by the form designer, causing big memory leaks (broken in this build)
  

I kept clicking next page, hoping to find a stable version without memory leaks, but gave up after a few pages.
Is there a version that doesn't have big memory leaks? LOL

Thanks again for your recommendation.

TwinBasic is very functional and appears close to an official full release. I believe the memory leaks are for the IDE itself, not necessarily for the EXEs you create.  It can create both 32-bit and 64-bit EXEs.  There is a free community edition and also paid tiers.  I have used it with good success.  It is my favorite language along with QB64PE.  They complement each other.

To get an idea of how functional it is, it can compile PhotoDemon (has been able to for quite a while now) (https://github.com/tannerhelland/PhotoDemon) and XYPlorer is switching from vb6 to it (https://www.xyplorer.com/).  I can't guarantee that it can currently run all your old programs but I can tell you it puts a smile on my face each time I code in it.  I have written a functional program with a FlexGrid, TreeView, text boxes, check boxes, multiple forms, menus, context menus, multiple modules, etc.  Again, it complements QB64PE nicely, just like vb6 complemented QB45 for me in the past when I also used both simultaneously. As a bonus, because the syntax is vb6 compatible, the AIs can help with it very well.  It also has an active Discord. The Android support, etc., is planned for a future version.  The developer's focus at this time is to get a v1 eith 100% vb6 compatibility (if I understand correctly).

Again, it complements QB64PE.  It doesn't replace it.  I suggest trying it out.

[madscijr]

That's really cool! Also, @Kernelpanic said the original Visual Studio 6 still runs on Windows 10, so I pulled out my original install discs to give that a try as well. But that Twin Basic can compile old vb6 projects to native 64-bit code is pretty amazing.

[hsiangch_ong]

@madscijr, I don't understand why you're still messing around with this unfinished stuff instead of installing VB 5 or 6. What are you afraid of?

But is this Microsoft's site? Who is winworldpc.com? I'm very wary about installing programs downloaded from unknown sites...

i would like this question answered.  i don't think microsoft ever gave real consent to allowing free downloads of any of their software.  also allowing dll's from outdated libraries such as the foundation classes.  but which are needed to be able to run a couple of outdated projects out of sourceforge.

i'm not very interested in visual basic.  how about diving into qt?  in a perfect world, the simplicity of visual basic is combined with the supposed visual awesomeness of the platform behind kde plasma desktop.

[madscijr]

I had a lot of fun with Visual Basic 5 and 6. When .NET came out, it just wasn't the same, and it quickly became apparent Microsoft was leaving BASIC in favor of C#, which supported several features that they could have -but chose not to- support in VB.NET. But VB6 was cool, I love the simplicity of the form designers and the drag & drop controls coupled with the BASIC language, and still use them every day in VBA with Excel / Word / Outlook. The object orientation is there as an option, but you aren't forced into it like with .NET. 

I'm not a Linux guy, but someone I know who is, loves KDE. What's qt...?

[madscijr]

You can download Visual Basic 1.0 to 6.0 here: Visual Basic 1.0 - 6.0

It runs without problems on Win 10 Prof.

I found my original Visual Studio 6.0 install disk and tried installing under Windows 11 Pro, but it pops up with "this app may not work correctly". I tried closing or ignoring those and proceeding with the install, and it wants to install some Java component, so I let it, and Windows reboots (so far this is how the install proceeded under 9x/2k/XP), and under Custom Install, I uncheck C++, Visual J++, etc., and proceed. The installer says installing and I get the animated circle, but it just does that forever, and if I click it, Windows says it's not responding, I can wait or terminate.

I tried creating a shortcut to setup.exe, where I recall from Windows 10, you could choose compatability options, but I don't see those issues anywhere. Did they discontinue or change that with Windows 11? I would be curious what you may have done to get Visual Studio 6 running in Windows 10...

(In any case, I pulled out my old XP laptop which is working, and installed VB6 there successfully. I can just have my old laptop sitting next to my current one, with the VB6 IDE open to my old project, and use it as a reference for recreating it in QB64PE. That's all I really needed the VB6 IDE for anyway - to be able to see the form designer, to visualize my app's GUI controls and run the app to remember what the behavior was like. The .frm/.bas/.cls files open in Notepad++, so I can look at all the code on my current laptop, I just can't see the form designer.)

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[Kernelpanic]

Microsoft also distributes VisualBasic.NET for free through Visual Studio, so it would be ludicrous if they still were to take care of VB 1 through 6, whose development was discontinued in 1987. Times have changed. Twenty years ago, you would have had still to pay for VC code; for example.

On Qt: Qt-(Software)

PS: Visual Studio 6 (1998) is missing components that were necessary back then, but are no longer necessary today.

[madscijr]

Microsoft also distributes VisualBasic.NET for free through Visual Studio, so it would be ludicrous if they still were to take care of VB 1 through 6, whose development was discontinued in 1987. Times have changed. Twenty years ago, you would have had still to pay for VC code; for example.

I didn't expect them to support it - though it would be awesome if software actually still worked years after it was released, on a modern computer. And that's one of the reasons I like QB64/QB64PE - I don't have to worry as much about my code not working after a couple years.

On Qt: Qt-(Software)

Thanks I will look that up

PS: Visual Studio 6 (1998) is missing components that were necessary back then, but are no longer necessary today.

You said it's working for you on Windows 10, which is why I tried installing it. How did you get yours to install? Can you say which components are missing? 

(Not a biggie if not, like I said it's working on my old laptop, I am only curious because you said yours works in Win 10...)